Can I afford to VIP?

Hey guys I've been browsing this forum for a little while now and I finally decided to register.  

I'm a 19 year old college student and I've been driving around in a '94 civic since I got my license.  This summer I'll be getting a new car because my younger sibling will be getting their license and will need the Civic to drive.  With that said, I'm really interested in the 2nd gen GS300.  I've been searching on craigslist for a while and I've found many different GS300's w/ decent mileage and clean titles in the $8k-$10k range.  I'd say my max budget for my next car will be $13,000.  

So could I get away with a VIP GS300 for $13k?  I'm not very interested in getting an air suspension, I would stick with coilovers.  [B]What are some important components to a VIP car other than suspension and wheels?  [/B]

Any help would be great.  I've been wanting a VIP car for quite a while now, just seeing if I can make this a reality.

Thanks :biggthumpup:

13k with to mess with is actually pretty good to start off with you VIP project. lets say you come across a 2GS for 9k, that means you got 4k to play with wheels and coils. 2k for rims easy for some really nice name brand stuff, and you can even find air suspension with your remainder budget. good luck and post pics!

I don't mean to sound like a dick...I really dont but if you have to ask then this may no be for you, gotta pay to play.

you won't build an all out vip car on a 13k budget, even if you already had the car. what you can do is get a nice foundation to continue with.
 
the first, and most overlooked, step is maintenance. older cars are [I]never[/I] perfect. you can keep this to a minimum by choosing a well cared for car that's early in the scheduled maintenance cycle (not necessarily low miles). don't blow your budget buying aftermarket parts with your fingers crossed, do preventive maintenance.
 
next is suspension. don't assume just because you go coilovers your not going to spend some money. yeah, you can go with a "budget" coilover and keep the initial cost down but there are also ball joints that may fail under the new stress, bushings that may tear, and geometry to be corrected. a proper static suspension can easily cost as much as the average air setup.
 
once your height is addressed you will be able to determine your proper fitment so it's wheel time. buying used or some [I]quality[/I] lower priced wheels will help you stretch your budget. i recommend buying wheels that fit vs. going overly ambitious with fitment to keep your fender work to a minimum. about now you should be running out of cash.
 
to address the highlighted question: most people will probably say a kit is the next step but i'm not down (i'm a stock body fan). if you do go for aero you need to factor in paint. it also makes sense to address any previous damage or custom body work while its in for paint. 
 
brakes would probably be my recommendation. not only will you be replacing old parts that are critical to driving, you'll be improving the cosmetics (if you chose open faced wheels) as well as performance.
 
lighting (headlights, retrofits, leds, clears, etc.) is something you can address for a reasonable cost. no rush there imo.
 
detail parts (grills, spoilers, handles, pillars, etc.) are things you can do fairly cheap to set your car apart. again, no rush in my eyes. just pick them up as you have extra cash (or not at all).
 
interior can be taken care of at any time, but its part of an all out car (even if subtle). condition of the existing interior may bump this up on the list of priorities. same story with audio/visual.
 
engine performance/dress up is generally one of the last things to be addressed. a clean stock bay will do. in the event that something needs repair you may want to look at possible upgrades.
 
whatever you do don't go on an accessory spree. it's easy to get sucked in by all the little knick knacks when you're new but they lose their appeal pretty quickly and are overpriced enough that you can blow a grip without even realizing it.

Welcome.  It can get very expensive depending on how far you take it.  If you keep it to the basics, suspension and wheels, you can do it.  Premium gas and a lower MPG are to be considered too. 

As for requirements:
-Big luxury car (preferably Japanese)
-low as f***
-Nice fitting wheels

Everything else is just icing on the cake.

I have to say Both well Said ^ should sticky blkonblks comment. , I may even blog that seriously. that question comes up quite a bit

Thanks for all the answers!  I guess I'll keep browsing this forum to learn all about the different components of a VIP car to gain a better understanding of it all..

pay the cost to be the boss....

good luck

Don't forget the cost of tires.  Most members here don't get more than 6-7k life per tire.

Getting the car is half the battle, it's what you do to it that really starts to stack up.

spoken like a true yakusa

Cant forget when you run static and are super low as you should be, you will bang shit up if you dont know how to drive it (even if you do know how to drive it, there are just those places you cant seem to avoid and BANG, your exhaust just ripped open)

Ive noticed a lot who try will pick a non-VIP platformed car and buy cheap and or fake parts (when legit is available) in order to get things done quicker. This will hopefully help all of them see, that it is better to do it right, and slowly (building a starting project) than to just rush through it cheaply and get bashed like crazy

You are choosing a great starting platform BTW.

Never estimate numbers always turns out to be more than you thought it would. Take one thing at a time and do it right the first time it'll save you huge in the long run. Lastly im 19 and own a gs and i love this car, very reliable i say you buy the car and just take your time with it you don't need to build a vip car over night, just enjoy the car and treat it too some goods when ever you can afford it and then your car and your wallet will both be happy haha

hey guys im in the same situation as theaftermath.. im also 19 and in college and recently got into the VIP style.

3 weeks ago i picked up an 02 lexus gs300 sports design for 10k..wanted to ask whats a good start point to proceed to making a VIP car? 

thank you guys

1) suspension
2) wheels
3) everything else
 
this assumes maintenance is current.

[QUOTE=TheAftermath;358916]  [B]What are some important components to a VIP car other than suspension and wheels?  [/B]


Thanks :biggthumpup:[/QUOTE]
[COLOR=Red][SIZE=7]NOTHING![/SIZE][/COLOR]

With these guys,

Where in washington you at?

yes the first thing i did was maintance.. now im deciding whether to go with airbags or coils.

i was in college when i picked up my y33 -- i drove it stock for two years. people used to ask me if it was a hand-me-down from my dad, haha. ain't no shame in rocking a stock car!

yeah thats what im planning to do with the motor.. just keep it stock since i only want to cruise VIP ahah

Pimpin aint easy but it is rewarding

I personally don't think vip is [B]that[/B] expensive unless you're building a 460 or something along those lines. Old cars like that, just take your time. Took almost 3 years to get my car where it sits today. Just take your time and like they said start with suspension and wheels. The rest will just come as time passes.


edit:
Add 5k to your budget and get yourself a completely "vipdout" car
[IMG]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j34/b16_eg/4750509589_dc1ef3a0dc_b.jpg[/IMG]


/shameless plug

[QUOTE=jeebus;359136]I personally don't think vip is [B]that[/B] expensive unless you're building a 460 or something along those lines. Old cars like that, just take your time. Took almost 3 years to get my car where it sits today. Just take your time and like they said start with suspension and wheels. The rest will just come as time passes.
 
 
edit:
Add 5k to your budget and get yourself a completely "vipdout" car
[IMG]http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j34/b16_eg/4750509589_dc1ef3a0dc_b.jpg[/IMG]
 
 
/shameless plug[/QUOTE] Cool picture  BRo :biggthumpup:

nice plug bro.

Thanks for all the comments guys. 

[QUOTE=Kouki Monster;359052]With these guys,

Where in washington you at?[/QUOTE]

I live in Bellingham right now since I'm going to school at WWU

My Opinion, it depends on three things; What skills you have, what resources you have, and what expectations you have. When you're on a budget, the name of the game is stretching that budget as far as it can go to fit within your expectations. For example, someone that does all their own installations and maintenance will spend less than someone that outsources the labor to a shop (skills). Someone that has extra parts laying around from previous builds, connections to parts suppliers, or connections to part importers will pay less than someone that knows nobody and has nothing to start with (resources). Someone that wants to build a newer model car with a kit, perfect paint, adjustable suspension, and wide wheel fitment will pay more than someone that is happy with a stock bodied car slammed on coilovers with stock body (expectations). So for us to really answer your question, I think we would need to know more about what skills, resources, and expectations you have.

I think it is possible to build a pretty nice VIP car on a budget as long as you are building older platforms, you you know the right people for parts, and you do all your own work. I think this is especially true for people that do their own bodywork and paint.

[QUOTE=CrazyHawaiian;359219]... For example, someone that does all their own installations and maintenance will spend less than someone that outsources the labor to a shop (skills). Someone that has extra parts laying around from previous builds, connections to parts suppliers, or connections to part importers will pay less than someone that knows nobody and has nothing to start with (resources). Someone that wants to build a newer model car with a kit, perfect paint, adjustable suspension, and wide wheel fitment will pay more than someone that is happy with a stock bodied car slammed on coilovers with stock body (expectations)...[/QUOTE]
 
hmmm... where's all my money then?

Piece by piece, bit by bit.
Do what you like and what you can afford.
If people don't like it.. f***k 'em.

[QUOTE=BLKonBLK98;359441]hmmm... where's all my money then?[/QUOTE]

You spend it all on parts!!! :biggthumpup:

If I had to do it all over again I would just wheels n suspension.  Rr spoiler, grill and s nice retro upgrade thats it! No kits or lips!

Nice, welcome to the boards. hope everything works for you.

There is so much more to VIP than suspension and wheels....thats just Fitment and stance and all the honda boys and fad chasers are doing that right now.  It more about the custom details, custom modded fenders, bumpers, grills headlights, interior, etc etc.  You need the suspension and wheels done right, but its still just fitment and stance at that point.  G/L